Nuran Erkul Kaya
07 February 2020•Update: 07 February 2020
ISTANBUL
A Washington-based think tank, Atlantic Council, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will hold a high-level conference on the renewable energy outlook for Turkey and the broader region on Feb. 13 in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul.
Anadolu Agency will be the global communication partner of the "Renewable Energy Outlook Conference: Financing, Investment, Regulation, and New Technologies in Turkey, Central Asia, Caucasus and the Western Balkans" conference.
Atlantic Council in Turkey, the think tank's Turkey Program, is committed to promoting dialogue and transatlantic engagement with Turkey and the wider region.
The conference will discuss the latest regional energy developments in Turkey and countries in Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Western Balkans, and address current policy and regulatory trends as well as the investment environment, grid integration of renewables and outlook for further technological innovation.
"Turkey and other countries in the region are rightfully embracing the opportunities afforded by renewable energy," said Richard Morningstar, the founding chairman of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center.
As these energy sources continue to drop in price and grow in grid penetration, it is important that conferences such as this gather decision makers to chart a course that will maximize the energy diversification, resilience, and security for the region, Morningstar said.
The meeting is the second in a series aiming to turn into the region’s premier gathering for high-level policymakers and executives to discuss the latest developments in renewable energy.
Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez will deliver the opening speech of the conference and a number of ministers from the countries in the region as well as industry executives and high-level representatives of the leading international energy companies will attend the event.
"Meeting the challenge of the climate emergency is the most urgent task of our time," Nandita Parshad, managing director for Sustainable Infrastructure Group at the EBRD, said.
The EBRD is an international financial institution supporting energy transition towards open market-oriented economies, and renewable energy is a key integral part of the bank's strategy.
According to the bank's data, the EBRD has invested €34 billion (almost $37.3 billion) in over 1,900 sustainable projects that helped reducing 102 million tons of CO2 emissions.
The EBRD's green financing in 2019 hit a record of €4.6 billion by creating 2.2 gigawatts of new power capacity.
Parshad stressed the role of renewable energy in the fight against climate change, adding that the world needs decarbonized energy to continue to grow and renewables will have to deliver it.
"This important conference will allow countries in the region to share their experience in increasing penetration of renewables in their energy mix. It will also allow us to discuss ways to attract investment in the transition towards a clean energy future," Parshad concluded.
The conference will include five different sessions during which the speakers are set to discuss the potential of renewable energy resources in the region, transition to a subsidy-free world, integration of renewable energy resources into the electricity grid, role of new technologies and regional renewable energy outlook.
"Environmental security, energy security, and, more recently, economic imperatives continue to drive the growth of renewable energy globally and across the region," Defne Sadiklar Arslan, the director of Atlantic Council in Turkey, said.
Arslan added: "This conference will be a great opportunity to take stock of the current state of renewables and discuss the ongoing technological and regulatory developments in the sector."
